Fatigue (& Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a long term (chronic) neurological condition that affects the nervous and immune systems.
FOODS TO EAT MORE OF
FOODS TO AVOID OR MINIMIZE
ESSENTIAL OILS
NATURAL/HERBAL
YOGA / MEDITATION THERAPY
SUPPLEMENTS & HOMEOPATHIC
MIND-BODY CONNECTION
RECIPES/FOOD MEDICINE
Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets.
Abbreviation Definitions:
LC = Low Calorie (under 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch/dinner, and 200 for beverages/sides/snacks)
GF = Gluten Free
KT = Keto / Low Carb
VG = Vegan
VT = Vegetarian
BEVERAGES
MEALS
SIDES/SALADS/SNACKS
FOODS TO EAT MORE OF
- Fruits: Apples, avocado, bananas, berries, clementines, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, limes, mangoes, oranges, pineapple, pomegranates, strawberries, tangerines, tomatoes
- Vegetables: Arugula, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collard greens, green beans, green/red bell peppers, kale, mushrooms (especially reishi, maitake & shiitake), onions, romaine lettuce, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, watercress, leafy greens, root vegetables
- Garlic, ginger, cinnamon
- Brown rice, whole grains, dates, almonds, dulse, kelp, seeds (especially flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)
- Fish, beans, eggs, oats, olive oil, tofu, yogurt, turmeric, ginger
- Trinity Root (garlic, ginger, onion)
- Chlorella
FOODS TO AVOID OR MINIMIZE
- Red meat & dairy products (except yogurt)
- Process/refined foods, fried foods, artificial additives
- Caffeine, sugar, alcohol, yeast
ESSENTIAL OILS
- Rosemary, clove and/or thyme: add a few drops to bath water, or diffuse.
- Low Energy: Lemon, basil, fir, peppermint (shoulders, solar plexus, bottom of feet, diffuse).
- Exhaustion: Lavender, frankincense, lemongrass, clary sage, basil, ginger, grapefruit, lemon, rosemary, sandalwood (bottom of feet, heart, diffuse).
- Metabolic Imbalance: Oregano (lower back, thyroid, feet, kidneys, liver, glands).
NATURAL/HERBAL
- Mild aerobic exercise daily
- Stress reduction through yoga, meditation, tai chi
- Alfalfa, amachazuru (Jiaogulan), ashwagandha, astragalus, black walnut (in small doses), borage, burdock root, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, dandelion leaf & root, echinacea, elacampane, evening primrose oil, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, ginseng, guarana (avoid if you have high blood pressure or heart disease), lemon balm, licorice, milk thistle, parsley, passionflower, peppermint, red clover, red raspberry leaf, rose hips, rosemary, sage, Schisandra, shatavari, St. John's wort, stinging nettle, thyme, turmeric, Valerian, yellow dock
- Flaxseed Oil: 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) daily (can be mixed with food or smoothies, take in the morning).
- Thyme tea, added to bath water.
- Korean ginseng for men; Siberian ginseng for women; Astragalus for children (or some use both ginseng and astragalus together as a general energy tonic).
- Guayusa Tea
- 1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses or honey in a cup of hot water (take daily until energy returns).
- Chaga, Matcha, and/or Yerba Mate tea
- Juice any (or all) of the following and drink daily: concord grape, cabbage, beets
YOGA / MEDITATION THERAPY
- Movement Medicine - Energy Practice (17 minutes - Yoga With Adriene)
- Yoga for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (27 minutes - Chakrapod)
- Forward bends are especially helpful
SUPPLEMENTS & HOMEOPATHIC
- Alpha-lipoic acid: 100 mg daily
- Amino Acid Complex: 1 pill twice daily (take on empty stomach)
- Astragalus: 200 mg extract twice daily (rotate in 3 week cycles with echinacea and pau d'arco)
- Carotenoids: 2 pills mixed carotenoids a day with food (should supply 25,000 IU Vitamin A activity)
- Coenzyme Q10: 50-100 mg twice daily (take with food)
- DHEA: 25-100 mg daily
- Echinacea: 200 mg twice daily (should contain at least 3.5% echinacosides; limit consecutive use to 3 weeks or rotate with other herbs)
- Ginkgo biloba: 120 mg in the morning
- Licorice: 200 mg 3 times daily (should contain 22% glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhizinic acid; can raise blood pressure)
- Magnesium & Malic Acid: 300-800mg magnesium citrate or gluconate plus 2400 mg of malic acid daily (take with food; reduce if it causes diarrhea). Can take 4+ weeks to notice results
- Melatonin: 103 mg daily for up to 3 weeks (consult a physician if taking longer than 3 weeks)
- N-acetylcysteine: 250 mg daily
- Panax Ginseng: 100-250 mg twice daily (should contain at least 7% ginsenosides)
- Pantothenic Acid: 500 mg twice daily (take with meals)
- Pau d'arco: 250 mg twice daily (should contain 3% naphthoquinones)
- Reishi: As Directed
- Siberian Ginseng: 100-300 mg twice daily (should contain at least 0.8% eleutherosides)
- Vitamin B Complex: 1 pill twice daily with food (look for B-50 complex with 50 mcg Vitamin B12 and biotin, 400 mcg folic acid, and 50 mg all other B vitamins)
- Vitamin C: 2,000-3,000 mg 3 times daily (reduce if it causes diarrhea)
- Vitamin D
MIND-BODY CONNECTION
- Can represent an imbalance between rational and intuitive thought, your creativity and intuitive energy has been lost or ignored. You feel powerless. Try something new or out of character, take a break, try a new hobby.
- Can also represent spiritual isolation - a sense of meaninglessness tied to spiritual emptiness. Try to start a meditation/prayer practice daily.
- Can also represent acting outwardly in ways that are different from how you really feel internally. If you are feeling deep guilt or self-loathing, your body can turn on itself. Work on improving unconditional self-love.
RECIPES/FOOD MEDICINE
Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets.
Abbreviation Definitions:
LC = Low Calorie (under 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch/dinner, and 200 for beverages/sides/snacks)
GF = Gluten Free
KT = Keto / Low Carb
VG = Vegan
VT = Vegetarian
BEVERAGES
- Apple-Orange Smoothie GF VG VT
- Banana-Blueberry Smoothie GF VT
- BananaSauce Smoothie GF VG VT
- Basic Fruit Smoothie LC GF VG VT
- Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie GF VT
- Golden Milk LC GF VG VT
- Green Smoothie LC GF VT
- Herbal Mango Smoothie LC GF VG VT
- Kiwi-Pineapple Smoothie GF VT
- Mango Lassi GF VT
- Mango Pineapple Smoothie LC GF VG VT
- Mango-Banana Smoothie GF VT
- Mega-Greens Smoothie GF VT
- Orange Smoothie GF VT
- PB & Jelly Sandwich Smoothie GF VG VT
- Peach-Grape Smoothie GF VT
- Pineapple Kale Smoothie GF VG VT
- Pomegranate Dandelion Tea LC GF VG VT
- Soothing Elixir LC GF VG VT
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie GF VT
- Sunrise Smoothie LC GF VG VT
- Super Skin Smoothie GF VT
- Tropical Smoothie LC GF VG VT
- Yogi Tea LC GF VG VT
MEALS
- 3 Bean Soup LC GF VG VT
- Adult Ramen LC GF VG VT
- Asian Broccoli & Rice Bowl LC GF VG VT
- Balsamic-Glazed Chicken LC GF KT
- Black Bean Bowl LC GF
- Black Bean Chili LC VG VT
- Black Bean Soup LC GF VG VT
- Buddha Bowl GF VG VT
- Chicken Bone Broth LC GF
- Cornmeal & Pecan Crusted Fish LC
- Edamame Rice Bowl LC GF VG VT
- Garlic Soup LC GF VG VT
- Japanese Onion Soup LC GF VG VT
- MahiMahi with Cucumber-Dill Sauce LC GF
- Miso Soup LC GF VG VT
- Mujaddara LC GF VG VT
- Mung Beans and Rice LC GF VG VT
- Pan-Fried Fish Fillets LC
- Pasta Della California LC GF VG VT
- Pasta Fagioli LC VG VT
- Quinoa Oatmeal LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna LC VG VT
- Salmon with Avocado Salsa LC GF
- Salmon with Red Pepper Sauce LC GF
- Sesame Salmon LC GF KT
- Shells with Healthy Sauce LC
- Shrimp Power Bowl GF
- Soy Chicken LC GF KT
- Spiced Lentil Soup LC GF VG VT
- Spicy Black Bean Soup LC GF VG VT
- Spinach & Bean Pasta LC VG VT
- Tilapia with Balsamic Brown Butter LC KT
- Turkey Mushroom Saute LC GF KT
- Vegan Black Bean Bowl LC GF VG VT
- Vegan Bulk Spaghetti Sauce LC GF VG VT
- Vegan Jambalaya LC GF VG VT
- Vegan Mac & Cheese LC VG VT
- Vegetable Broth LC GF VG VT
- Vegetable Curry LC GF KT VG VT
- Vegetarian Chili LC GF VG VT
- White Bean & Spinach Soup LC GF
SIDES/SALADS/SNACKS
- Asian Cabbage Salad LC GF VG VT
- Beans & Greens Salad LC GF VG VT
- Brown Rice Pilaf with Saffron and Ginger LC GF VG VT
- Butternut Squash Risotto GF VG VT
- Caraway Brussels Sprouts LC GF VG VT KT
- Chickpea Pasta Salad LC VG VT
- Chinese Peanut Salad LC GF VG VT
- Creamy Kale LC GF KT VG VT
- Dill Vinaigrette Greens LC GF VG VT KT
- Double Mashed Potatoes LC GF VG VT
- Farro VG VT
- Fried Cabbage LC GF VG VT KT
- Glazed Carrots LC GF VG VT
- Homemade Salsa LC GF VG VT
- Kale Salad with Sesame Dressing LC GF VG VT
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes LC GF VG VT
- Molasses Beans LC GF
- Mushrooms & Beans LC GF VG VT
- Mushroom Risotto GF VG VT
- Pesto Vegetables LC GF VG VT KT
- Quinoa Salad LC GF VG VT
- Red Beans & Rice LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Broccoli LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Butternut Squash LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Carrots LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Chipotle Sweet Potatoes LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Green Beans LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Onions LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes LC GF VG VT
- Roasted Zucchini LC GF VG VT KT
- Sauteed Spinach LC GF KT VG VT
- Sesame Green Beans LC GF KT VG VT
- Spinach & Strawberry Salad LC GF VG VT
- Steamed Edamame LC GF VG VT
- Three Bean Salad LC GF VG VT
- Warm Red Cabbage Salad LC GF VG VT